During its March 7 meeting, the Mountlake Terrace City Council received an update on Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link Extension from Executive Project Director Randy Harlow, Deputy Executive Project Director Josh Patagas, and North Corridor Government and Community Relations Director Eric Ashley Vinka.

With service scheduled to start later this year, the Lynnwood Link will provide an 8.5-mile extension of the existing 1 Line light rail service from the Northgate Transit Center to the Lynnwood Transit Center.

Harlow explained that a second line would be added to serve downtown Bellevue and Redmond with projected travel times at 48 minutes from Mountlake Terrace using the eastbound connections. Lynnwood to downtown Seattle (including a stop in Mountlake Terrace) will take 28 minutes.

Initially, trains will run every 8 to 12 minutes, a number that will be refined as testing progresses in the coming months. Harlow added that the light rail frequency will increase to 4 to 7 minutes once the second line is established.

As of early March, 97% of the construction is complete, with major structures built, wetland restoration and trackwork completed. The Lynnwood Transit Center garage has reopened, and system testing underway.

“We are currently projecting service to begin in the summer or fall of 2024 with daily ridership between 47,000 and 55,000 across the extension,” Harlow said.

He explained that the finishing touches at the Mountlake Terrace station are essentially complete and are currently being inspected.

The next step is the startup activities, which include system testing and activation, first responder training, operator familiarization — which will coincide with simulated service — and safety certification. Then, the Link light rail will be open to revenue-generating service.

Some changes will be made to the King County Metro and Community Transit bus systems to better integrate the light rail with the remainder of existing public transportation.

Harlow said discussions with King County Metro and Community Transit have been ongoing for over a year. Public outreach and engagement led to a final network proposal that’s pending action by the King County Council later this month.

The proposed network will have the light rail serve as the north-to-south spine, including expanded Community Transit Swift bus service.Community Transit routes will connect the communities to the east and west.

Key changes to the Community Transit and King County Metro service lines are as follows:

Community Transit

— Connects to light rail service in Snohomish County with new express 900-series routes

— Improves and expands access to Swift bus rapid transit lines, including the new Swift Orange Line

— Adds more frequent bus service throughout Snohomish County, with three times the number of routes with 20 minutes or better frequency and two times the number of routes with 30 minutes or better frequency

— More late-night and weekend bus service

— Increases the number of people and jobs within walking distance of all-day, frequent transit service

— Replaces Northgate and downtown Seattle bus service with new express routes to Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace light rail stations

King County Metro

— Increases total weekday trips by 9% and total weekend trips by 32%

— Increases evening trips by 43% after 10 p.m.

— Increases span of service on weekdays by 68 minutes and weekend routes by 78 minutes

— A net increase of three frequent routes and four existing routes with frequency improvements

— Three new and three improved east-west routes

The curbs near the western side of the Mountlake Terrace Link light rail station will be redesigned to accommodate articulated buses that King County Metro and Community Transit will be using.

Harlow said the Lynnwood Link opening date will be announced in the next few weeks. The expected timeframe is the summer or fall of 2024.

To learn more about Community Transit changes, click here.

— By Rick Sinnett